Republican lawmakers have launched a competition for 'sycophantic legislation' regarding former President Donald Trump. Following a proposal to feature Trump's likeness on a $250 bill (approximately 350,000 won), a recent bill has been introduced to name a national theater in Washington D.C. after him.
On the 29th (local time), major foreign media reported that Republican Representative Robert Onder (Missouri) introduced a bill on the 23rd to change the name of the national theater in Washington D.C. from 'John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' to 'Donald J. Trump Center for the Performing Arts.' Previously, Republican lawmakers had initiated the legislative process to rename the Opera House at the Kennedy Center to 'First Lady Melania Trump Opera House,' and this new bill is a step further.
The Kennedy Center was named after President Kennedy two months after his assassination (November 1963) when Congress passed a bill to honor him. The current chair of the board is former President Trump, who personally 'self-appointed' himself as chair after dismissing progressive members of the Kennedy Center board earlier this year.
The Washington Post (WP) quoted Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of President Kennedy, saying, "Former President Trump cannot rename the Kennedy Center Opera House after Melania Trump." Schlossberg argues that the Republican bill violates federal law, which prohibits the installation of additional memorials within the center.
The bill specifies that "The board must ensure that no additional memorials or plaques of a memorial nature are designated or installed in public places of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after December 2, 1983." This means it is impossible for Republican lawmakers, who are not board members, to change the name of the Kennedy Center Opera House.
Changing the name of the Kennedy Center to Trump Center could also face legal issues. Georgetown University law professor David Super said, "There is no doubt that under current law, the Kennedy Center board cannot change the name of the Opera House to Melania Trump or any other person's name," adding that congressional approval would also be necessary in such cases.
NBC News also reported, citing three former Kennedy Center board members, that "Under the law that established this center, changing the name of any facility except for the Eisenhower Theater is prohibited."
Professor Super noted that Republican lawmakers need to secure at least 60 votes in the Senate for the bill to pass, saying, "I wonder if they can find seven Democratic senators willing to support naming an opera house after the wife of someone who has consistently cut arts budgets." Currently, there are 53 Republican senators, so Democratic cooperation is needed for the bill's passage.
Democratic Representative Chellie Pingree (Maine) stated, "The Kennedy Center is not just a theater in Washington," adding, "It is a monument named to honor President Kennedy, who had a passionate love for the arts." He further remarked that changing the name of the Kennedy Center is no different from changing the names of the Washington Monument or Lincoln Memorial.